End closure with double anti-missile score

Abstract

An end closure for food and beverage containers provides controlled opening characteristics to prevent the unintentional missiling of a tear panel. The end closure comprises a score line that defines a portion of the tear panel, and the end closure may comprise one or more anti-missile features that inhibit the propagation of a fracture down a score line, which reduces the likelihood that a tear panel will inadvertently detach from the end closure and injure the user or another.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A metallic end closure with controlled opening characteristics, comprising:
 a peripheral curl which is adapted for interconnection to a neck of a container body; 
 a central panel; 
 a countersink positioned between said peripheral curl and said central panel; 
 a pull tab having a nose end and a tail end, wherein said pull tab is operably interconnected to said central panel; 
 a first score line in said central panel which defines a tear panel; and 
 at least one anti-missile feature positioned proximate to said first score line which deforms at least a portion of said first score line to affect the rate at which said tear panel opens along said first score line when a user pivots said nose end of said pull tab into said tear panel, wherein a first anti-missile feature is positioned proximate a second anti-missile feature, and said first anti-missile feature and said second anti-missile feature are disposed on said tear panel. 
 
     
     
       2. The metallic end closure of  claim 1 , further comprising a second score line positioned substantially parallel to said first score line, wherein said second score line has a shallower depth than said first score line. 
     
     
       3. The metallic end closure of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature comprises a depression formed in said central panel. 
     
     
       4. The metallic end closure of  claim 3 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature has a shape of at least one of a rectangle, a circle, an ovoid, a polygonal, a trapezium, and an arc shape. 
     
     
       5. The metallic end closure of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is formed by a tool applying a force on a public side of said central panel to deform at least a portion of said first score line. 
     
     
       6. The metallic end closure of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a check slot positioned in a portion of said first score line wherein said check slot has a shallower depth than said first score line. 
 
     
     
       7. The metallic end closure of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is disposed over said second score line. 
     
     
       8. A metallic end closure with controlled opening characteristics, comprising:
 a peripheral curl which is adapted for interconnection to a neck of a container body; 
 a central panel; 
 a countersink positioned between said peripheral curl and said central panel; 
 a pull tab having a nose end and a tail end, wherein said pull tab is operably interconnected to said central panel; 
 a first score line in said central panel which defines a tear panel, wherein said first score line comprises a check slot; 
 at least one anti-missile feature positioned proximate to said first score line which deforms at least a portion of said first score line to affect the rate at which said tear panel opens along said first score line when a user pivots said nose end of said pull tab into said tear panel; and 
 wherein a first anti-missile feature is positioned proximate a second anti-missile feature, wherein said first and second anti-missile features are substantially parallel. 
 
     
     
       9. The metallic end closure of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is oriented at an angle from a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said pull tab. 
     
     
       10. The metallic end closure of  claim 9 , wherein said angle is between approximately 15 and 60 degrees. 
     
     
       11. A method of forming a metallic end closure with an anti-missile feature, comprising:
 providing a blank metallic material; 
 forming an end closure comprising a peripheral curl, a central panel, and a countersink positioned there between; 
 forming a first score line on said central panel, wherein said first score line substantially defines a tear panel; 
 providing an insert tool with at least one shaped feature disposed on a distal end of said insert tool; 
 pressing said insert tool into at least one of said central panel and said tear panel such that said at least one shaped feature contacts said at least one of said central panel and said tear panel at a location proximate said first score line, wherein said at least one shaped feature creates at least one anti-missile feature in said end closure, wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is a double anti-missile feature comprising a first anti-missile feature and a second anti-missile feature, wherein said first and second anti-missile features are substantially parallel to each other; and 
 interconnecting a pull tab to said central panel of said end closure, wherein a nose of said pull tab is positioned over said tear panel. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 forming a second score line substantially parallel to said first score line, wherein said second score line has a shallower depth than said first score line. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is disposed over said second score line. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said first and second anti-missile features have longitudinal axes which are oriented at an angle with respect to a vertical axis defined by the longitudinal orientation of said pull tab. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein said angle is between approximately 15 and 60 degrees. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature has a shape of at least one of a rectangle, a circle, an ovoid, a polygonal, a trapezium, and an arc shape. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 11 , wherein at least one anti-missile feature is disposed on the tear panel side of said first score line, and at least one anti-missile feature is disposed on the opposite side of said first score line. 
     
     
       18. The metallic end closure of  claim 8 , wherein said first anti-missile feature and said second anti-missile feature are disposed on said tear panel. 
     
     
       19. The metallic end closure of  claim 8 , further comprising a second score line positioned substantially parallel to said first score line, wherein said second score line has a shallower depth than said first score line. 
     
     
       20. The metallic end closure of  claim 19 , wherein said at least one anti-missile feature is disposed over said second score line.